Quick Quote 36: Antiquote Soren Kierkegaard

 "The matter is quite simple. The bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly."
--Søren Kierkegaard

I saw the above quote after a Facebook friend posted it.

The bible, new testament included, has dozens of rules against women speaking in church, remarriage, certain types of haircut and meat, and many other rules that are ridiculous today. The reason Christianity thrives in America today at all is these "scheming swindlers" doing what's right instead of doing what the Bible commands. Replace the word "Bible" with "Koran" in this quote and "Christians" with "Muslim" and its easier to see how dangerous this mindset can be.

10 bible verses that approve, among other things, sexism, genocide and slavery. (Telegraph) 
13 Things The Bible Forbids Other Than Homosexuality (That You're Probably Guilty Of Doing). (Huffington Post

Here is a related quote from Robert Ingersoll that compares Catholics and Protestants. Neither Ingersoll or myself advocate either.

"The Catholics have a Pope. Protestants laugh at them, and yet the Pope is capable of intellectual advancement. In addition to this, the Pope is mortal, and the church cannot be afflicted with the same idiot forever. The Protestants have a book for their Pope. The book cannot advance. Year after year, and century after century, the book remains as ignorant as ever."

Quick Quotes 28: Antiquote on aging

"Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many."
-Unknown Source

I agree that one shouldn't regret growing old and changing one's mindset to view aging as a privilege can accomplish this if nothing else works, but it's a cheap low-level wisdom.

It's similar to an employee who justifies staying at a miserable jobs because "I should be grateful I have a job" or an abused spouse who doesn't fight for improvement or leave because "it's worse elsewhere".

There will always be someone less privileges or in worse condition to look to for motivation. Even if you're the most deprived human in the world (if you're reading this you aren't), you can look to history or create fictional alternatives. If anyone can use this trick, then quotes like this aren't saying anything besides, "be grateful at all times".

Let's get to the heart of it then.

The value of your life is intrinsic and shouldn't be derived from the misfortune of others. If you're having to be glad you're not dead to appreciate your life, you're missing something. Life isn't a commodity that increases in value as others fall out unless you're putting it on a market.